Mikiko’s BodyBlog

Emerald Cup

I flew out Thursday to compete in the Emerald Cup on Friday, April 18 2008 in Bellevue, Washington.  The venue was held at the Medenhauser Center.

Week in Review

Getting ready for a Figure Show is a pretty involved process.  Diet and training aside, you can’t simply roll up on stage!  Monday I booked an appointment with my favorite local salon, InStyle Salon on 4^th Street in San Mateo to have a full body wax / exfoliation and facial done.  I started waxing my body in February, so after a few waxing cycles, my hair is a lot thinner and softer and not painful to remove.  This makes the exfoliation and bed tanning a lot easier to bear, and I also don’t have to worry about any skin-related issues (rashes, redness, etc) that might affect my stage color. 

Training:  The week before the show, I started a full-body circuit training recommended to me by IFBB Pro Figure Athlete Chrissy Garcia:

25 reps / 3 sets of each superset:

Lat pulldowns / preacher curls

Seated rows / db hammer curls

Shoulder press / incline db flyes / tricep kickbacks

Lateral raises / flat bench press / tricep extensions

100 swiss ball crunches w/ feet together / leg extensions

Hanging knee raises / one-legged split squat

I did this training routine up until Monday the week of the show.  Tuesday and Wednesday I did the upper body circuit with out training legs (you don’t want to train legs the week of the show to minimize swelling / water retention).

Cardio was kept to 30 min / day Sunday-Wednesday.

Nutrition:  Sun-Thursday I had 4oz meat and 1 cup asparagus for 6 meals.  Wednesday I cut my water intake and dropped sodium and any supplements that weren’t in a pill form.

Wednesday I ended up working late, so I didn’t get home until 8pm.  I fell asleep!  I woke up the next morning at 3:30 in a panic–I hadn’t packed or anything!  I ran around, throwing stuff in my suitcase.  Luckily, I had the times for my flight wrong…for some reason I had in my head that I was leaving 2 hours earlier than my actual time.  Luckily I checked my itinerary one more time on the way out, realized the mistake, and was able to cook a leisurely breakfast for my daughter, see her on her way to school, and give her a hug and kiss goodbye.

After years of preparing your physique with clean nutrition and rigorous training, the last thing you want to ruin the day you have worked so hard for is being ill-prepared!  Some people travel light…not me.  I will happily exchange portability and convenience in favor of being over-prepared.  Don’t forget to label everything with your name (even your bag of rice cakes), chances are at least 5 other people brought the exact same item!

• FOOD
• I made the mistake once of bringing exactly what my nutritionist told me to bring.  Yes, there might be waste, but running out of food was absolutely miserable…make sure you pack at least 3 extra meals (plan for spillage / spoilage)
• Carb-up food.  If you have no idea what to bring, yams, oatmeal, rice cakes, dried fruit and granola are pretty standard.  You worked hard to drop fat, why would you want to stuff your face now? (BTW…large-mouth snack containers or shaker cups are great for putting snacks in, so you can shake it into your mouth, as opposed to touching it with your greasy posing oil and ProTan-covered hands)
• Sodium-free water - at least 2
• Supplements / water pills
• Splenda packets
• Toiletries
• Bikini Bite
• Posing Oil
• ProTan for touch-up (you should have at least 7 coats on you by now)
• Hair and make-up products (even if you are having a professional job…you never know!  Be prepared with at least the essentials!)
• Exfoliating scrub and disposable scrubber (you will need to get the ProTan off your skin)
• Baby wipes & old towel
• Tissue paper (sometimes the bathroom runs out, or you might get a runny nose)
• Vaseline (to put on your teeth and lips)
• Dental Floss / toothpicks (having something stuck in your teeth is the LAST thing you want to deal with!)
• Q-tips
• Clip to keep the hair off your back so it doesn’t soak up oil while you are waiting to go onstage
• Extra pair of contacts
• Box of fake nails to match your existing ones (JUST IN CASE you break one!!!)
• Mini sewing kit (at least a needle, thread, scissors and safety pins)
• Extra plastic bags to put yucky stuff in
• Clothing / Misc
• 1-pc and 2-pc suits (for God’s sake…don’t bring a bikini from the department store…YES I have seen this on many occasions!)
• Flip flops
• Clear heels (no higher than 5″…the judges hate the 6″ heels)
• Pump-up band (weights are a pain in the butt to drag around)
• Comfortable, easily accessible cover-up for back stage appropriate for the time of year (sweats in the fall / winter, light dress for the summer)
• Extra outfits if you are doing a photoshoot, including shoes (workout gear looks retarded with clear heels)
• Something cute to wear after (hey–you NEVER know! Just make sure it’s a dark color so your ProTan won’t ruin your outfit)
• Money, cell phone, Driver’s License, NPC Card, Registration forms, related receipts and confirmation #s
• Camera
• Business cards / promotional material (you WILL meet awesome people / make new friends at the show, it’s nice to be able to keep in touch!)
•  If you are traveling…
• Painter’s tarp & tape (great for covering your room so you don’t get protan all over the floors and furniture)
• Toilet seat covers for your hotel room (ProTan on the toilet is NOT ATTRACTIVE–you can also use toilet paper to line the seats)
• Extra towels and sheets (hotels might charge you extra for getting protan on their stuff)
• Old flannel pajamas and two pairs of tube socks (one for your feet, one for your hands)

Good luck, and happy competing!